Reflection on LIVE 2008: It’s Not a Variety Show
I’ve been thinking about what to say about LIVE 2008 as a whole for the past 2 days. It’s actually hard to summarize two days of non-stop action in just one blog post - thus the multitude of posts I’ve been making lately. I usually just do 1-2 a day but I’ve been posting like mad since LIVE ‘08 ended. Anyway, after thinking about LIVE long a hard as well as comparing it to other gaming events that our competitors do, I came upon a conclusion on why I think LIVE is special and why it’s really the biggest online gaming event in the country. Level Up Live 2008 does not put the spotlight on celebrities, movie stars, bands, or sexy girls that have absolutely nothing to do with online gaming. Level Up Live 2008 is NOT a variety show wherein we use the acts to lure in people. We are not about cheap gimmicks. Level Up Live is about one thing and one thing only - it’s a tribute to the gamer. Yes, the sexy cosplayer girls are nice too but ultimately the main draw of LIVE is the tournaments. It’s the culmination of a year’s worth of blood, sweat, and tears for millions of gamers in the country.
I know that our company and our games are not perfect. Yes, we have bugs left and right and we may have the occassional customer support issues. But name a gaming company that doesn’t have that? Even Blizzard has their fair share of problems. My main point here is that when we are able to, we really do try to focus on what you guys need and want. I’ve said this a million times already, if only we were the developers of the game, then we would stop all development until we fix all the bugs. But that isn’t the way this business works. We are game publishers - not developers. It’s not an excuse but I can assure all of you that everyone here is really doing their best to give you guys a good gaming experience.
Level Up LIVE 2008 is a testament to that. It’s the most expensive thing on our annual budget, and it really is the most time-consuming and hardest-thing-for-the-year-to-do for everyone here at Level Up. We don’t actually earn from the event since we don’t charge entrance except for the measly P50 card which you buy beforehand anyway.
At Level Up LIVE, we don’t put up a good show. We just set the stage for the gamers because they are the stars of the movie. They are the ones who are providing the performance of their lives - showing everyone that they are indeed the very best at what they do. In other words, we do Level Up LIVE to make the best gamers out there look good (LOL). If you don’t believe me, then you should have been there during the opening ceremonies. We literally introduced the gamers as if they were WWE superstars! Complete with fireworks, nyahaha. The program of LU LIVE is really built on the psyche of a gamer and that’s what matters the most. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the past few events that we’ve done, the crowd cheers louder at matches than they cheer during band performances or even during the Cosplay competition.
I can definitely say that Level Up LIVE 2008 was a phenomenal success. I don’t have the actual headcount yet of the number of people who came but I’m pretty sure that we surpassed last year’s 16,000. Last year we only rented 2 halls and we filled it up. This year we rented the ENTIRE WORLD TRADE CENTER and it was maximum capacity once again.
To all the gamers who went, please accept my heartfelt thanks. To everyone who competed, especially Team Philippines, you guys are all champions. You’ve proven that you are the best in the country and I know that it’s only a matter of time before we finally bring home the gold. To everyone at Level Up that worked hard to make LIVE happen - maraming salamat po!
I’m definitely looking forward to next year’s Level Up Live. I’m sure that everyone here will be scratching their heads trying to figure out ways on how to top this year’s event. Hahaha!
PS - I’ll be posting a few more stuff about LIVE then I will do a wrap-up post summarizing everything.
Level Up LIVE 2008, Ragnarok World Championships Read more
Team USA Lana Anderson
You have to give it to our Multimedia team! You guys asked for a feature on Team USA member Lana Anderson and apparently it’s now up on the Level Up website. Lana won the hearts of the crowd at the Ragnarok World Championships with her very warm smile and cheerful personality. She played the camera very well and you could really notice that each time the camera was on her, the crowd would cheer and go crazy. Sometimes she even got more cheers that the Philippine Team, Lol. Well… if you guys don’t know yet, Lana is actually half-Filipina.
I’ve reposted the entire article at the Level Up Website after the jump.
As it turns out, Lana is half-Filipina! Her mother is a nurse from Manila. The American High Priestess admitted that her Filipino lineage isn’t that evident, and said this is only her second trip to the Philippines. According to Lana, she first visited our shores when she was around five.
Lana was introduced to the world of gaming via Final Fantasy when she was two years old, and it appears that the video game bug has stuck with her ever since. Proof: Pokémon kept her busy when she was 10. Today, Lana owns an Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii.
Despite having all the consoles that would turn many local gamers green with envy, Ragnarok Online remains Lana’s favorite game (Isn’t it obvious? She’s a national champion). She also dabbled in Perfect World, but she said her heart belongs to Ragnarok. And her boyfriend, of course. Sorry guys.
The role-playing game genre may be Lana’s favorite, but she also likes playing Halo and Silent Hill. When the latest installment of the Konami-published survival horror game was brought up (Silent Hill Homecoming), Lana’s eyes lit up and she giddily started talking about the series’ trademark scares. While this Ragnarok fan also takes some time to play the adventures of Master Chief, she clearly isn’t that big a fan of first-person shooters. Perhaps it’s the whole concept of using gamepads and analog sticks.
When the High Priestess isn’t kicking butt and taking names, she spends her time drawing and playing cards with her teammates. Like many teens living in the States, Lana is a working student. She is employed at a clothing store, does some modeling, and is studying at the University of California, Los Angeles. By some strange sorcery, this High Priestess still finds the time to do all that and play Ragnarok for at least 30 hours a week.
Lana also made her instant fans all over the world happy when she took the time to field questions from readers of the Level Up! LIVE 2008 Live Blog during a chat session set up by the Level Up! Multimedia team. Scroll down when you click on the Live Blog Replay as the chat was held during the evening of Day 2 of Level Up! LIVE.
Team USA may not have won it all in the Ragnarok World Championships, where Thailand emerged as back-to-back champion, but Lana promises to return for another shot at the title next year.
I’m sure Lana’s Filipino fans are going to be thrilled to hear this news, but it’s hard to say if the tournament would again be held in our shores, or if her squad would again win on the national level since the competition is fierce. Whatever happens, 2008’s Team USA will be remembered fondly.
Lana and her team may not have won the Ragnarok crown, but she has indeed won our hearts.
I wouldn’t be surprised if she gets an offer from ABS-CBN or some other media company here in the future based on this event alone, hahaha!
Ragnarok World Championships, RWC 2008
Tags: Ragnarok-World-Championships, RWC-2008
Level Up LIVE & RWC 2008 Cosplay Pictures and Videos
Any major Level Up gaming event wouldn’t be complete without Cosplay! Just like the Film Festival entries, this year’s Cosplayers showed a lot of talent and resilience. There was a bit of controversy during the actual competition when one of the Cosplayers fell through the stage but thankfully he’s okay. Anyway, I took a bunch of pictures and videos and I’d like to share them with you today. Instead of posting every single picture though, I compiled them and put them into a picture slideshow video which you can watch after the jump. Get ready to see lots of cute Ragnarok Cosplayers… and a dancing Red MAU!
RWC & LEVEL UP LIVE 2008 COSPLAYERS
Out of all the cosplayers, my favorite was the RF Online RED MAU and the Ragnarok Online Bloody Knight. The problem with the Bloody Knight though was that it was too bulky for the Cosplayer to move while wearing it - unlike the RED MAU which was even able to dance. I’d also like to commend all the other cosplayers who braved the crowd and gave the performance of their lives. You guys really rocked the event!
By the way, I’m currently uploading all the pictures that I could get my hands on into my Flickr Photo Album. Once it’s done, I’ll make a separate post inviting all of you to visit it. Special thanks to GM Atma for giving me pictures from his camera.
Cosplay, Level Up LIVE 2008, Ragnarok World Championships, RWC 2008 Read more
Thailand Emerges as RWC 2008 Champion!
Thailand pulled off an historic win over South Korea making them back-to-back World Champions for 2 years in a row! The defending champions literally bulldozed all of their opponents and showcased how good they were by constantly changing their tactics depending on their opponent. The finals between Thailand and Korea really proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that they were strong contenders deserving of slots in the finals. I don’t know if I’m calling this right but I think the main difference for the fight was when Thailand used the Gypsy. Apparently Korea had low VIT characters and they almost often found key players stunned which disrupted the over-all flow of their teamwork.
Details and results of the other matches after the jump.
At the end of the day, Team Thailand came out victorious over Korea with a 3-2 record. This is the second time in history that Thailand has become world champion and Korea reached 2nd place. It’s really sad to note that the Philippines earlier bowed out to Indonesia in a battle for the third. However, you can’t help but still be proud of Team Philippines given the effort they’ve given to reach where they are now. Remember that they are still the 4th best in the world, and that they are still your back-to-back Ragnarok Philippine Champions.
There is nothing to be ashamed of and I’m sure that it will only be a matter of weeks before these guys get back on their feet and roaring in-game during the weekly sieges and PVP.
Thank you Team Philippines for giving it your all! We will always be proud of what you’ve accomplished. To Thailand, Korea, and Indonesia - Congratulations!
Level Up LIVE 2008, Ragnarok World Championships, RWC 2008
Tags: RWC-2008, Ragnarok-World-Championships, Level-Up-Live-2008
Powerspoonz Brings the House Down with Barrio!
I was really excited for the opening of Level Up LIVE because I knew that Powerspoonz would be playing the RWC theme song, Barrio, to introduce the teams competing in the Ragnarok World Championships. And OMG - they literally brought the house down! Powerspoonz rocked World Trade Center with so much energy that you could feel the electricity in the air! I won’t be surprised when this band goes big time in a couple of months. They’re really talented and they have the potential to reach international stardom - especially since their exposure in RWC is er… global? Anyway, I took this video of Powerspoonz singing Barrio at the LU LIVE opening ceremonies. Hope you guys enjoy it because I definitely did!
POWERSPOONZ “BARRIO” at LEVEL UP LIVE 2008
I don’t know about you guys but I am definitely a Powerspoonz fan. If these guys ever release an album, I’ll be one of the first to buy it. The reggae-rock sound is just intense!
Barrio, Level Up LIVE 2008, Powerspoonz, Ragnarok World Championships, RWC 2008
Tags: Level-Up-Live-2008, Barrio, Powerspoonz, Ragnarok-World-Championships, RWC-2008
Philippines Beats Germany 2-0 (and other match results)
Team Philippines beat Germany in an exciting 1st round match this morning. The crowd literally cheered their hearts out as Team Philippines did their best to take out the same team which they fought against last year. Check out the summary of both rounds as covered by Pinoy Gaming after the jump. They’re part of the team that’s covering the event live here at the World Trade Center.
Round 1: As the GM said go, the game started out shaky. Both teams hesitated for a second or two until Philippines’s monk saw an opportunity and charged. The rest of the team followed the charge and ran right into the Germany’s Land Pro as the monk fired his first Asura Strike. A few Asura Strikes later and Germany’s professor finally gell and it all went to hell for Germany from there. They started dropping like flies and Team Philippines won 7 men up to nothing.
Round 2: Pinoygaming thinks Team Philippines’s wizard made a fatal mistake as he ran right into the enemy’s Land Pro and got shot down. Fortunately Team Philippines recovered faster than you can say parry and started making kills, taking out Germany’s scholar first THEN the champion. Which, if you know your Ragnarok, spells doom to any team. Philippines won 6 men up to nothing.
Here’s the results of the other matches so far:
ROUND 1
Bracket 1
Philippines defeats Germany
Japan advances through by default draw (bye)Bracket 2
Thailand defeats Brazil
Taiwan advances through by default draw (bye)Bracket 3
USA defeats Russia
Korea advances through by default draw (bye)Bracket 4
China versus France (TBD)
Indonesia advances through by default draw (bye)
Team Philippines will take on Japan at around 4PM. Btw guys, I have tons of photos and videos. Will upload and post them all later when the day ends. Good luck Team PH!
Ragnarok World Championships, RWC 2008 Read more
Thoughts on Level Up Live 2008 & RWC
Level Up LIVE 2008 is just around the corner. Almost everyone here in the office find themselves buried with work preparing for the biggest online gaming event of the year. It’s amazing how vibrant, colorful, and alive the online gaming community is in the Philippines. Gaming really is much more than just the “games” - it’s about the social aspect as well. Personally I’ve made so many friends through Ragnarok and it never ceases to amaze me how fast your network expands when you start meeting gamers in person. Anyway, that aside, I was thinking on how big this year’s event will be.
The Ragnarok World Championships 2008
The Ragnarok World Championships is the main event for this year’s LIVE. 12 teams from more than 20 countries will be battling it out to determine who will be crowned the best Ragnarok gamer in the entire globe. Note that when you win this tournament, you literally are the best in the game, period. On October 4, we’ll be having the Ragnarok Philippine Championships to determine the Philippine Team. The top 8 teams in the country will clash so that we can finally find out who will be carrying our country’s flag come October 18-19.
For the winning team, the pressure will be really something else. Yes, we’ll have a bit of an advantage because we’ll be playing in our home turf. This means that the crowd will be cheering for the Philippine team as they take the stage to do battle. However, this also means that losing might take a toll on the competitors. I just pray that the Philippine Team really does their best so they won’t have any regrets - win or lose.
One Hell of a Party
Level Up LIVE is also not just about tournaments - it’s a big venue for guilds and friends to rediscover one another. That’s why we have a lot of side activities lined up for everyone! Don’t just sit and watch the games. Move around, meet people, and try all the activities. Visit the Level Up Town and check out the various guild booths! Of course I encourage all of you to visit all the booths of our sponsors as well since LIVE wouldn’t be possible without their support.
Like last year, we will also be having a game trial booth. We’ll have a lot of computers set-up so you can play your favorite game while waiting for the match that you want to watch. Note that we will also be offering the public the chance to try out Grand Chase! We’ll have several PCs installed with the latest new game that will be launched by Level Up sometime in October - November. If you haven’t signed up yet for CBT, please head on over to the official Grand Chase website and do so. Grand Chase will be one of the biggest things to hit the country and I’m really excited for the game and for the community.
I’ll end this post with an invitation for everyone to come and visit Level Up LIVE 2008 on October 18-19 at the World Trade Center! Support your country and be there to witness history in the making! It will be one huge party and every gamer has to experience LIVE at least once in their lifetime (LOL). Cheers and I hope all of you have a good weekend!
Level up LIVE, Ragnarok World Championships
Tags: Level-Up-LIVE, Ragnarok-World-Championships
2x/3x EXP Modifiers & the RPC Finals
Hey everyone! Sorry it’s been a while since I posted. I’ve been really busy preparing for Level Up LIVE, Grand Chase, and the Ragnarok World Championships. Anyway, I just wanted to sneak a post in about the latest updates for Ragnarok Online. To start things off - we have a bonus EXP week starting today until October 1! P2P servers will be on 2x while F2P servers will be on 3x. This is a good opportunity for everyone to recharge since we’re gearing up for the next major patch of Philippine Ragnarok Online, Demise of Morroc. Also, I’d like to plug the upcoming Ragnarok Philippine Championships finals which will be held this coming October 4 at the Mall of Asia.
Here’s a picture of the final 8 teams that will clash at the SM Mall of Asia. We worked really hard to come up with a plan that will have all 8 teams battle it out live and not online. This eliminates the issues that we encountered last year wherein there were several complaints of latency and lag. Hopefully this year’s RPC finals will be smoother. I’d like to wish everyone who’s participating the best of luck. Remember that whoever wins on October 4 will be the official Philippine Team that will represent our country in the Ragnarok World Championships at Level Up LIVE on Oct 18-19. We should all unite behind that team and support them since it’s no longer about guilds or factions anymore - it’s now about national pride.
I’m really excited for Level Up Live! Imagine the electricity in the crowd as we announce the Philippine Team! There will be 12 teams total and if we win this one, we prove to the world that we are the best players - period. After all, it is the Ragnarok WORLD Championships.
So with that I wish everyone the best of luck! For now keep the spirit of competition fierce. But after we declare the winner, let’s rally behind our country and our flag. Rok On Team Philippines!
Philippine Ragnarok Online, Ragnarok World Championships Read more
RPC Regionals Champions and Agit Lord Server Contenders
With each passing day, we get closer to the Ragnarok World Championships which will be held at the World Trade Center on October 18-19. For several months now, we’ve been doing several in-game promotions and live events to filter out the best team that can represent the Philippines in this once-in-a-lifetime tournament. There is no higher honor than to carry that flag into battle - and this is definitely the Olympics when it comes to online gaming. More than 20 countries guys. If you win this one, you prove that you are the best in the world. With that in mind, I’d like to acknowledge the teams that have progressed in the Regionals, Agit Lords, and Wild Card. Check out the list after the jump.
RPC 2008 REGIONALS CHAMPIONS
Regionals GMA Champion – El Muchachos (Harabas) of Valkyrie Server
Regionals Luzon Champion– Chill Din (KOJ) of Valkyrie Server
Regionals Cebu Champion – When Budi Bites OMG! (AnL) of Tyr Server
Regionals Mindanao Champion – Armada vao (Armada) of Baldur ServerRPC 2008 WILD CARD RESULTS
Ultimate Wild Card
BOZANIAN BEASTFIGHTER
AAAAAAQUABIRDY – Baldur ServerBaldur
1 Goonz (SoopahSpoonBeeBee) - 13009
2 Legacy.(-Rockman-) - 12997
3 • Genesis Rejects • - 12977
4 •Zero Gravity• (Kobujirou) - 12577Freya
1 TeIeios (Napoleon`Dynamite) - 17982
2 .Fear Us. (`Khryzh`) - 17772
3 Demented (tangkad’s) - 17648
4 • ro-B.O.T • (Magsi ~) - 17647Tyr
1 lnfinitus Luminarium™ (Lord -aXe-) - 13701
2 -Renegades- (`2pacAmaruShakur) - 12500
3 • G o d s e n D • (BOYKUNAT_FE00) - 10344
4 • Sentinels • (kankan.) - 10268Valkyrie
1 Napster (kitrock`) - 11931
2 ††Kingdom of Justice†† (JehaR) - 10789
3 Vanquish ([Exia]) - 8682
4 Harab?s (- S l o w -) - 8621Valhalla
1 Final Judgement™ (Jigsaw.) - 6763
2 Guardians™ (melchezedek) - 6651
3 • Finest • (Air Vengeance) - 5557
4 Dirge of Cerberus (watsap) - 5262RPC 2008 AGIT LORDS SERVER CONTENDERS
Click here to go to the official announcement on the Ragnarok Website
Everyone who has made it this far should be proud of themselves. You’ve fought long and it’s only a matter of weeks before we crown the Philippine Champion, who in turn will go off to face the best the world has to offer.
Go Team Philippines!
